ShotSpotter gunfire detection system operates at second Saginaw location

SAGINAW — Criminals on both sides of the Saginaw River now have to think twice before firing a gun, the city’s police chief says.

And more crime-fighting help could be on the way.

Crews on Wednesday installed the second square-mile worth of the gunfire detection technology, ShotSpotter, that some officials thanked in part for a 33 percent reduction in shootings in 2009 compared to the previous year.

“There’s one on each side of the river now,” Police Chief Gerald H. Cliff said. “That’s about as specific as I can get.”

Police want to conceal the location of the mobile technology — which uses 15 to 20 microphones on structures or telephone poles to detect gunfire within a one-mile radius — to keep criminals guessing where authorities are monitoring gunfire.

Technicians installed the first square mile of machinery March 14, 2009.

Saginaw bought both systems using U.S. Department of Justice grants that paid for the Mountain View, Calif.-based ShotSpotter Inc. equipment.

The police chief credits U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee, D-Flint, with helping Saginaw secure the grant for the second consecutive year. The city bought the latest ShotSpotter using $200,000 in federal grants.